AN inquest has been opened into the death of a respected headteacher who is believed to have killed herself. Mother-of-five Nassim Akhtar, 40, was found dead in the back seat of her burnt-out Toyota Previa people carrier just off Burnley Road, Altham
A DISABLED rights cam-paigner who sparked a parking re-think at Blackburn's hos-pital has said the results are "completely inadequate". Bob Simpson, chairman of Blackburn with Darwen Disabled Access Group, said there were still not enough disabled spaces
SPEED camera bosses have unveiled a drastic change in policy after axeing one of East Lancashire's most notorious devices in a pilot scheme. They are investigating whether to replace some speed cameras with electronic signs that display the speed of
TWO friends whose fathers died from cancer have completed a 32-mile charity walk in their memory. Engineer Jeff Fay lost his father in 1989 to bowel cancer and had vowed to raise money for the East Lancashire Hospice where he died. But Jeff, 49, of
PLANS to build a new NHS dentists' surgery in Great Harwood have been refused - despite the chronic shortage of dental places. The surgery was proposed to be built on land off St Hubert's Street but concerns were raised over parking issues, as well as
SNEAK thieves stole vital sat nav equipment from an ambulance parked outside Accident and Emergency at Burnley General Hospital - as paramedics dropped off a patient. The theft has been condemned as despicable' by police and emergency services who said
We asked: "Do you back moves to replace speed cameras with screens that display your speed instead?" Here are the results. Yes 88.2%. No 11.8%. So our readers were strongly in favour. Take part in our current poll - scroll down and it's on your
ROSSENDALE property developers Hurstwood Group has set up a new business to tackle large regeneration schemes. Hurstwood already has about 15 firms within its group, including its largest, Hurstwood Construction, which deals with projects for clients
THE man who launched Matt Derbyshire on the road to fame and fortune today said he always knew the striker would be a big hit in Blackburn Rovers' first team. John Hughes, the former manager of Great Harwood, gave Derbyshire his big chance to shine when
GREEN campaigners have warned Pendle Council they will fight plans to chop down trees in Barrowford Park - unless the move is absolutely necessary. Council bosses are proposing to cut down dozens of trees in Barrowford Park after a safety inspector ruled
BURNLEY are in line for a repeat of their 1974 FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle following the fourth round draw. The Clarets will travel to St James' Park should they overcome Premiership newboys Reading in tonight's re-arranged tie at the Madejski
A WORLD-famous education lecturer has given his backing to East Lancashire's Building Schools For The Future (BSF) projects. But he warned: "They will only be a success if everyone gets behind them." Accrington-born and educated Professor Andy Hargreaves
A FUND set up in memory of murdered Burnley aid worker Michael Blakey has raised £4,000 in less than a month. Michael, 23, of Mayfair Road, Pike Hill, was working for the Tong-Len Charitable Trust, helping refugee families in northern India when he was
A MAN jumping across cars, a woman smashing windows at a Burnley pub, and a missing man boarding a train in Nelson were all captured on camera over the festive period by crime busting CCTV camera operators across the Pennine policing area. Thanks to
AN APPEAL has gone out to help hunt down vandals who ripped up a metal sculpture only weeks after it was erected. The Workers' statues were put up on the roundabout at the end of Haslingden Road in Rawtenstall last month. Designed by pupils at the nearby
SEASON ticket holders will gain FREE admission to Blackburn Rovers' up-coming UEFA Cup clash with Bayer Leverkusen at Ewood Park after club officials agreed to move the kick-off time to 6pm to allow for live German television coverage. Rovers have also
LORD Nelson would certainly be right if he now uttered those immortal words I see no ships.' I have just read that the MOD are to cut back the Royal Navy. Can you believe it? There are only 36,000 naval personnel as it is. We are an island and 90
EAST Lancashire schools have welcomed Government proposals to reconsider the use of SATS and National Tests to assess children's abilities. Under the new proposals, national tests at 11 and 14 could be scrapped in favour of a series of shorter but more
THE inquest into the death of murdered mother-of-six Zainab Begum, whose body has never been found, could take place later this year. Mrs Begum, 56, was killed and dismembered by son-in-law Muhammed Arshad, 38, in 2003. Now coroner Michael Singleton
TWO East Lancashire men were sentenced to a combined prison term of almost 10 years for drug trafficking. Habib Subanie, of Townley Street, and Munir Hussain, of King Street, Brierfield were sent to jail yesterday when they appeared at Burnley Crown
ACCRINGTON Stanley's glamour friendly against Chinese side Chengdu Blades tonight is off. Officials cancelled the game last night following relentless rain and Reds chief executive Rob Heys admitted there was very little hope of the weather improving
BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes has told potential suitors to forget any thoughts of making a cheeky bid for Benni McCarthy. The former Porto star has been a revelation since he arrived at Rovers last summer, scoring 13 goals, including five in his last five
READING striker Leroy Lita insists Saturday's FA Cup washout handed Burnley an advantage as the two clubs face off in tonight's re-arranged clash. The England U21 international was set to lead the line for the Royals before referee Rob Styles postponed
COUNTY council tax payers face a five per cent rise in their bills as finance chiefs proposed cutting £12.1million from their budget to keep costs down. It came as the county council cabinet delayed making a final recommend-ation to the full council
A NEW health boss for Blackburn and Darwen said she was looking forward to the "challenge" of encouraging residents to become more healthy. Former nurse Judith Holbrey, the new chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen NHS Primary Care Trust, said she
I AM amazed that the woman who put her boyfriend's cat in the washing machine may get a prison sentence. May!! If I was on the bench there would be no may about it. The pathetic excuses would only serve to double the sentence. MR D PRATT, Plantation
COUN Dave Hollings's answer to Mr Crompton's letter in respect of the none left turn southbound into Railway Road is a half truth answer to the question. If Coun Hollings wanders down to the town centre and looks at the southbound traffic light opposite
AS reported in the Lancashire Telegraph (January 2), I agree with councillors Hollern and Rigby and also chief executive Graham Burgess that the spending of almost £100,000 of public money by local authority officials on hotel accommodation is not only
SADDAM Hussain has been executed. Justice has been done as he was guilty of many crimes. The future will reveal if his death will quicken the road to peace or bring about more death and destruction. Mr Bush and Mr Blair are guilty of the crime of the
OVER a period of several weeks I have had to visit Royal Blackburn Hospital and on each occasion I have travelled by bus from the town centre. A convenient and pleasant enough journey. The return however, has not been so pleasant as during very wet and
I HAVE recently had the opportunity to look back at past letters regarding the bin situation in the borough. I find it incomprehensible that we are expected to accept a 50 per cent reduction in our refuse collection service. I for one do not have a garden
A GRANDFATHER who had his pension stolen by a serial pickpocket slammed the "soft" 18-month sentence given to the thief. Victim Albert Sanderson, 79, of Durham Road, Wilpshire, criticised the "leniency" shown to drug addict Paul Duncalf, who was branded
Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman has refused to give up hope of signing long-term target Luke Rodgers. Crewe have accepted an offer from Swindon Town for the transfer-listed 25-year-old, who has failed to command a starting spot in Dario Gradi's
This popular musical is a firm favourite with audiences who grew up with the classic film and which has attracted recent attention with the television programme How do you solve a problem like Maria?' Brunshaw Action Group's production, produced by
THERE'S nothing like a spot of devil worshipping and bare-knuckle fighting to get your attention. And no, this is not the latest idea from the producers to liven up Celebrity Big Brother. Waking The Dead returned with a New Year bang on BBC1 reminding
UNWANTED Christmas gifts are being collected by a fundraising group so that they can be converted into cash to help fight cancer. The Rishton-based Christie's Grafters group raises money for The Christie Hospital, Manchester - one of the largest cancer
A GREAT Harwood pub is set to reopen after being taken over by a new owner. The Gamecock in Whalley Road, has been taken over by national chain Mitchells and Butler and given what is described as a "complete overhaul". Richard Surr, a spokesperson for
A NEW £1.4million school sports facility in a rural area is unveiled tomorrow - and will be used by residents as well as pupils. Grindleton's Bowland High, a school with Specialist Status in Performing Arts, received a £1.4m grant from the Big Lottery
